The best sim racing games for 2024 | FOS Future Lab

Assetto Corsa Competizione

What was once a very GT3-centric game has expanded over the years since its release to become quite the appealing, albeit quite serious, sim racer. Assetto Corsa Competizione (ACC) was Kunoz’s GT-focused follow-up to the beloved all-round title of 2014, itself due a direct sequel as early as next year. While it was quite restrictive in terms of what cars you could experience, a healthy schedule of updates and DLC packs has fleshed out what is a fantastic game.

As well as GT3 cars ranging across the last five years from Blancpain, GT World Challenge, the British GT Championship and Intercontinental GT Challenge, players can indulge in one-make racing in Porsche 911 Cups, M2 CS, the 488 Challenge, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo and more. Also joining the roster is the current ballooning range of GT2 cars, including the Audi R8 GT2, Maserati MC20 GT2, Porsche 911 GT2 Clubsport (and 935, weirdly enough) and KTM XBow GT2. 2024’s GT3 cars are set to join soon too including quite possibly the new Mustang GT3 and Corvette Z06 GT3R.

The range of tracks is properly good too, with popular and not-so well-known circuits alike cherry picked from all the above series, from Snetterton to Spa-Francorchamps. The gruesome Nürburgring Nordschleife is also available, yes, for the N24 experience…

Such a narrow focus brings its benefits, with no other game offering the detail and depth of Competizione when it comes to modern GT cars, from driver line-ups to setup adjustments. The more serious nature of the game also brings with it rating-based matchmaking, which is sorely missing from the broader Assetto Corsa title. This game is about as close as living room racers can get to the real GT racing deal – there’s a reason Competizione is (proudly) the official game of Blancpain and the GT World Challenge – and in 2024, it’s a better game than ever.

iRacing

If you want serious, though, iRacing is the daddy, isn’t it? It’s the one that will make even professional racers a little bit apprehensive, given how seriously the game takes the business of sim racing. Its safety-biased ranking system means there is no room for jokers anywhere other than at the bottom of the pile. Race well and you will be rewarded.

Long in the tooth as it is, as with most PC stalwarts, it’s a case of Trigger’s broom with the amount it’s been successfully nipped, tucked and updated over its decade and a half in service. The professional standards of driving it commands in combination with diligent updates help it retain its place as the digital busman’s holiday to the stars, including Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Neel Jani, Juan Pablo Montoya and many more.

Assetto Corsa

Another long-serving title is of course Assetto Corsa (AC). Kunos’ do-it-all circuit racer serves as much the racing fans as it does road car enthusiasts with driving physics on a racing wheel that more serious Forza and Gran Turismo players have always pined for. The variety of machinery is solid in the Ultimate Edition version of the game. If you’re on PC, the selection – of cars and locations – is near-on endless, thanks to the dedicated and active modding community.

The racers are just as dedicated, though the platform lacks the framework of discipline to get the more serious drivers away from those with less discipline and a penchant for contact. At the very least AC is a great game on which to build up your driving skills, if not the very best to partake in racing at the highest level.

Project Cars 2

It was a sad moment when it was announced that Project Cars 2 (PC2) would be delisted from sale. The game served diligently as a beloved sim racer for a broader audience than the likes of iRacing formore than six years and remains a great point of reference for aspiring sim racers.

This is because it is one of only a couple of gateways to a more authentic and unintimidating sim racing experience for console gamers. It represents a significant jump up from the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo without alienating a large portion of those players. Still very much the sim racer of choice for many racing communities, those who got in there early remain loyal.

It has a great selection of tracks and cars, competent dynamics on a racing wheel, day/night cycles and various weather options. Whether your thing is historic sportscars and touring cars, or modern GTs and single-seaters, PC2 has a little something for everyone.

Find a hard copy for console or do what you need to do to get it on PC and you’ll find the servers are still up and perfectly functional.

rFactor 2

The rFactor series is a sim racing OG from the last 20 years, with the original developing an enormous cult following thanks to its versatility with modifications. Such was its endurance that the player base made the 2005 entry a tough rival to beat for the sequel on release in 2013.

Happily, the sequel also embraced the wealth of potential in high-quality user contributions. Almost all kinds of cars, almost all eras on almost any track you can think of, such is the beauty of a community-driven title. All you need is the disk space on your PC to hold it all. That, or you’ll need to be picky…

EA Sports WRC

Taking over development from Kyloton, some expected EA’s re-entry into the WRC world might fall a bit flat. Quite the opposite is the case. Using its extensive experience with its Dirt franchise in combination with a more down-the-line tone an official title should take, EA WRC 2023 turned out pretty damn well for controller and wheel players alike.

The WRC franchise, going back through Generations, and the various numbered titles Kyloton provided, is a delight, though EA’s triple-A resources have definitely been felt in a good way in this latest release.

Automobilista

If not getting an entry on this list for its famousness, Automobilista gets tagged in for its commendable dynamics, championed by famous sim racer Jimmy Broadbent. For the sake of a wide-ranging experience, it deserves a download from the discerning PC racer who’s looking to taste as many sim racing flavours as possible. You may well find a dynamic darling in Automobilista, which stands proud still over its sequel.

Automobilista 2 is worth a mention. After a shaky start a number of updates, including to the physics, have improved it over time. There’s potential there for a great game to emerge in the coming years but for now, the original remains the more complete option. 

Gran Turismo 7

Launched in March 2022, the long-awaited, long-delayed entry to the Gran Turismo series really stuck the landing with a game that felt like a love letter to motoring history. The handling was a touch too harsh but Polyphony have been entirely proactive in updates to address this – both in terms of inherent driving physics and the tyre models – as well as progression and reward issues.

Two years on, GT7 is an eminently playable, rewarding game that with reassuring support is actually delivering on the hype and promise. The quality of cars being added is sublime, with the Aston Martin Valkyrie joining the roster earlier last year – looking, sounding and driving incredibly we might add – as well as a number of other choice inclusions.

Still, in spite of that ‘Real Driving Simulator’ tag line, it’s still more an entry point to sim racing, rather than the iRacing, Assetto Corsa-flavoured destination you it could well lead you to. A great game all the same.

Forza Motorsport (franchise)

We only wish the same could be said for the long-awaited Forza Motorsport, which has been a full six years in the making. That’s right, Forza’s last circuit-based entry, FM7, launched before Project Cars 2. Yet this latest entry, a game Turn 10 claimed was “built from the ground up”, is surely anything but.

Obvious old car models have been plopped into a game with the familiar old modding system, bad sounds, shonky AI and clunky multiplayer servers. Sadly, like Gran Turismo at times, it also features an online player base that often takes things less than seriously.

So why’s it on this list? Well, our reasons are two-fold. First, though it’s a bit of a mess now, Turn 10 can’t afford to just let it fester. Updates and improvements should if they know what’s good for them, come thick and fast, a few have been rolled out already with mixed results. With any luck, the new Forza Motorsport which we sorely hoped would be a fresh start and a reboot, will be a passable game by the end of the year.

Secondly? One mustn’t dismiss the father for the sins of the son. Old Forzas are still a great jumping-in point for people wanting to get a bit more serious than Need For Speed and GTA. A little-known secret? You can still play Forza Motorsport 2 – yes, one of the best games in the franchise launched all the way back in 2007 – online. The same goes for FM3, FM4, FM5 (though don’t bother) and FM6. Dust off that old Xbox 360 and discover the foundation that made this franchise so beloved.

Coming soon: Le Mans Ultimate (February 2024 onwards)

Le Mans Ultimate is coming to serve as the official title representing Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship. The new sim racer was due to be out before the end of 2023 but has been pushed just a tad to February 2024. Launching initially for PC users only, the game will feature every car seen in the 2023 WEC season and will have all the cars for subsequent seasons – 2024 and beyond if it goes well – added in due course. It also features all the circuits of the WEC including, perhaps obviously, the famed Circuit de la Sarthe.

Though it is a brand new title, Le Mans Ultimate should feel familiar to sim racers with experience on rFactor 2, given it’s being developed by Studio 397. The game will run on the studio’s proprietary pMotor 2.5 engine. Improved accessibility has been a focus however, with better controller gameplay. They’re even considering console releases depending on how the game’s release goes.

A real highlight of the game should be its asynchronous co-op, which allows drivers to share a car on the game, in a race, as teams do in real life. You jump out after your stint at Le Mans and whenever available, your friend can jump in, from the comfort of their own home at a time of their choosing. Sounds awesome.

Coming soon: Assetto Corsa 2 (2024-2025)

It should be coming out this year if Kunoz is to be believed. We of course refer to the long-awaited Assetto Corsa 2. Originally slated for a Spring 2024 release, it’s been pushed back to summer at the earliest and on PC only. Console ports are expected, though they’re unlikely to arrive until next year.

We don't know much about it, but surely the devs are reasonably aware of fan expectations for the game, as a follow-up to what came before. The new game is to run on a new in-house made engine intended to power incredible graphics and industry-defining physics. Like the original, it should have a decent range of tracks and a fun range of road and racing cars old and new.

Coming soon: GTRevival (2025)

Endurance sim racers are going to be eating good over the next few years. Following in the sometimes-stumbling-but-now-strutting footsteps of Assetto Corsa Competizione and Le Mans Ultimate will be GTRevival.

Due out next year GTRevival comes from Straight4 Studios, as lead by Ian Bell of Project Cars fame. The oft-vocal Bell has made lofty claims of GTRevival about “physics, input, looks, audio, models, etc,” that are “best in all areas”.

“What are we pushing for? The most acute and reactive physics ever delivered,” Bell said of the game in a Tweet.

“In game animations like wheels directly connected to the underlying physics with no perceptible lag. Later, a feeling of really being there with all of the excitement that brings. We're getting there.”

The car list looks very interesting too, for while ACC is quite modern GT-focused, GTRevival looks committed to modern and historic endurance racing, with cars shown in in-game images ranging from the latest Ferrari 296 GT3, to the delicious Ferrari 550 GTS, Dodge Viper GTS, BMW M3 GTR, Lister Storm and Jaguar XJR9 of yesteryear. This could very much be a bit of us…

So there you have it. The best sim racing games for 2024 and beyond. If we’ve missed any, as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. What are you playing and which upcoming title are you most excited for?